Eye of the Moon
by TheFireTwins
Summary: There is a long forgotten prophecy stating that; The one who is born of hair the colour of the moon and who bares the mark shall one day bring peace to all dragons. Nez wants nothing to do with any mythical creature, but that all changes after she meets Sorrel and Firedrake.


Dragon Rider

A Big City and a Secret:

I'm wake up because the hatch squeaks, meaning it has been opened. "Seems okay," a female voice whispers. I glance over and see the noise had woken Ben up too. "There hasn't been a human being in here for years, nothing but mouse droppings and spiders. Come on." I hear something squeeze through the hatch and then drop down.

After a moment so silence I could hear someone sigh. "What's the matter?" The female voice asks. "Oh, I see. Who's homesick now, then?" I hear someone moving around. "Here, get a noseful of these. They'll drive the stink of this place out of your nostrils. I expect our friend the rat would like it just fine here, but you and I had better get out as soon as we can."

'_Rat? They don't mean Gilbert, do they?'_ I thought to myself.

"Get some sleep now. I'll have a bit of a nap, too, and then I'll be off to look for Rat's cousin."

I glance over to Ben to see him trying to get a look at our guest but ends up kicking his backpack. "There's something in here!" The female voice hisses.

"Where," A male voice asks.

"Behind those crates!" The female whispers, "You stay here." Ben shuffles again, moving closer to me. "Come on out! Come out, whatever you are!" Neither Ben nor I move, barely breathing, trying to keep as quiet as possible. "Come on out!" The female spats again. "Or do I have to come and fetch you?"

Ben crawls out from behind the crates after a moment, I hesitate a moment but follow after. I stand up and find Ben staring down a Brownie. Her coat is a spotted sulfur-yellow colour and she had bright green catlike eyes. I look behind her and find myself staring into the golden eyes of a dragon. His scales shone like sliver and in the small space he seems enormous. He stares down at Ben and I in astonishment, probably the first time he has ever seen a human being.

"They don't smell of humans at all!" The brownie growls, finally getting over her shock. She was inspecting us from a safe distance. "They stink of mice," she mumbles. "That's why I didn't smell them. Yes, that'll be it." She turns to me, "and you, you smell of something familiar, but what..." she mumbles more to herself then anyone.

Ben ignores her and points at the dragon. "It's a dragon!" he whispers. "A real, live dragon." The dragon cautiously stretches out his neck towards us and sniffs us.

"Of course it's a dragon," the brownie says crossly. "And what are you?"

Ben turns to look at the brownie in surprise. "Oh, wow!" he exclaims. "You're quite something, too! Are you an extraterrestrial?"

The brownie strokes her silky coat. "I'm a brownie. Can't you see that?"

"A what?"

"A brownie!" she repeats impatiently. "Typical. You humans may be able to tell a cat from a dog, but that's about all."

"You look like a giant squirrel," Ben says, grinning.

"Very funny!" the brownie spats. "What are you doing here, anyway? A couple of titches like you aren't usually out and about on their own."

Ben's smile fade and I quickly step in. "A brownie like you isn't usually out and about here, either." I point out.

"If you must know, we live here." Ben mumbles.

"Here?" The brownie says, looking around.

"Yes, here." I glare at the brownie. "For now, anyway. But if you like," I look up at the dragon, "if you like you can stay here for the time being."

"Thank you," the dragon says. "That is extremely kind of you two. What are your names?"

I twirl a strand of my white hair between my fingers. "My name's Nez."

Ben awkwardly pushes his hair back from his forehead. "My name's Ben. What about you?"

"This," the dragon says, nuzzling the brownie gently in the stomach, "is Sorrel. And I am Firedrake."

"Firedrake. That's a good name." Ben puts out his hand tentatively to stroke the dragon's neck, as if he fears Firedrake would disappear the moment he touches him.

Casting us a suspicious look, Sorrel walks over to the hatch and looks out. "Time to go and look for the rat," she mumbles. "You," Sorrel points to me, "-human-can you tell me where the dockland warehouses are?"

"Less than ten minutes' walk from here. But how are you going to get there without being captured or stuffed and put on display in a museum?" I ask, concerned.

"You can leave that to me," Sorrel growls.

Firedrake puts his head between the two of us, looking anxious. "You mean it's dangerous for her?" He asks us.

Ben nods. "Of course. Well, looking the way she does I bet she won't get ten meters from here. The first little old lady to spot her will call the police."

"Police?" Firedrake asks. "What kind of thing is police?" I giggle at Firedrakes confusion.

"I know what the police are," muttered Sorrel. "But I have to reach those warehouses, so it's just too bad." She sits down and was about to drop herself into the murky waters below when I rush out and grab her arm.

"We'll take you there," I say. "I'll give you some of Ben's cloths, he's a little taller but it will have to do, and then we can smuggle you past somehow. We've been living here a long time. I know all the back alleys."

"Would you really guide her?" Firedrake asks. "How can we ever thank you two?"

I feel my face heat up. "Oh, it's nothing. Really," I mumble.

Sorrel on the other hand wasn't looking so enthusiastic. "Human cloths," she growls. "Yuck. Dismal death caps, I shall stink of human beings for weeks." But she grabs the clothes Ben had gotten her and we make our way through the old factory, leaving a sleeping Firedrake behind.

* * *

**I own nothing but Nevaeh!**


End file.
